Combined cigarette case and lighter



Oct. 14, 1958 H. GEISEL 2,856,098

COMBINED CIGARETTE'CASE AND LIGHTER Filed Jan. 27, 1956 I N VE N TOR Heinrich G625e/ United States Patent COMBINED CKGARETTE CASE AND LIGHTER Heinrich Geisel, Heldenhergen, Hessen, Germany Application January 27, 1956, Serial No. 561,869

Claims priority, application Germany January 28, 1955 Claims. (Cl. 221-149) This invention relates to special receptacles, and more specifically to a case for cigarettes, cigarillos, stumpen and the like, hereinafter referred to as cigarettes, which case is provided with a delivery device and combined with a lighter including a friction wheel, a flint, and a fuel tank, and is also provided with a pivotally mounted spring-loaded receiver which upon having been actuated presents a lighted cigarette to a smoker.

The invention has for its object to provide a combined cigarette case and lighter in which a pivotally mounted receiver forms part of the lighter and operates the lighter when same is being opened While it extinguishes the flame ofthe lighter when same is being closed.

A further and particularly essential feature of the invention consists in that the flint and the fuel tank of the lighter are arranged on thereceiver, and the flint, during the swinging out movement of the receiver, moves over the frictionwheel which is mounted on a hinge pin of the receiver and is held stationary during this movement. For this purpose the friction wheel is provided with a ratchet means holding the friction wheel fixed when the receiver is being swung into opened position, while the friction wheel is entrained by the flint and brought into a new operating position when the receiver is being swung back into closed position. The fuel tank is preferably detachably mounted on the receiver.

The receiver is so arranged that when same is being swung out, one end of the cigarette is lit up by the flame while the other end projects out thus far that it may be gripped by the mouth of the smoker. A spring pressing with one end against the container and with its other end against the receiver is preferably arranged on the hinge pin of the latter.

In order to have the receiver secured against unintentional operation, it is preferably held in its closed, in operative position by means of two locking devices acting independently of each other. If the two locking devices are arranged on the upper wall of the case, their latches locking the receiver in its closed position may also serve as bearing surfaces for the uppermost cigarette when the receiver is in swung out, open position.

Two preferred embodiments of the invention are illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 shows a combined cigarette case and lighter in open position in elevation, partly in section and partly broken away;

Fig. 2 is a horizontal section on line IIII of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a vertical section on line III--III of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic view showing a lighting device in top plan view;

Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the lighting device; and

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary elevational view of a modification in open position.

1 designates a container for cigarettes 2 provided with a front wall, a rear wall, side walls, a removable bottom part 3, and a top wall 5. The container 1 constitutes the main part of the case according to the invention and, as

ice

shown in Fig. 1, has a spring 4 bearing against the bottom part 3, pressing continually against the cigarettes 2 in the container 1 and tending to push the uppermost cigarette against the top wall 5 of the container. The position of the cigarettes is illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2.

A receiver '7, in the form of a channel corresponding to the shape of a cigarette, is pivoted on the container 1 by means of a pin 12 and hinge 6 and so dimensioned that it fits a recess provided in the front wall and adjacent the top wall 5 of the container 1. Owing to this arrangement the receiver 7 is enabled to be swung into the recess. In its closed position the receiver 7 is held by locking means consisting of a slide 8 mounted on the con tainer 1 and vertically slidable on the front wall thereof, for example in a guide 9, a spring 10 being provided which always tends to press the slide 8 over the receiver 7. The slide 8 has an upper edge which is bevelled on the side adjacent the container 1, so that it can run easily on to the receiver when closing the container. As a result of this arrangement the receiver can be released with one finger and the slide can subsequently be brought into a fresh locking position without any difiiculty. It is to be understood that the locking means may be provided outside or inside the container 1, however, in the latter case, at least two vertically extending ribs 27 must be secured to the inner surface of the front wall of the container for guiding the cigarettes, as is clearly shown in Fig. 3.

A flint 11, which is adjustable in the usual manner with the aid of a pressure spring 22 and a screw 21, is mounted on the receiver 7 in a guide tube 24 A friction wheel 13, made of some known hard metal such as steel, is rotatable on the hinge pin 12. of the receiver 7. Furthermore, a spring 14 is wound around the hinge pin 12 and presses with one end against the receiver 7 and with the other against one wall of the container 1. By this arrangement the receiver 7, after the slide 8 has been pressed back by hand, automatically moves into the swung-out position illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 and thereby effects the ignition on a fuel container 18 containing gasoline or gas and carried by the receiver 7.

As shown more clearly in Figs. 4 and 5, the friction wheel 13 is provided, for example on its upper end face, with ratchet teeth 15 in which a spring pawl 16 engages with a hook-shaped end 17, its other end being fixed on the container 1. This spring 16, constructed in the manner described, causes the flint 11 to rub against the friction wheel 13 in the direction of the opening movement, thereby producing sparks because the friction wheel 13 is held fixed by means of the hook-shaped end 17 of the spring 16. On the other hand, when the receiver 7 is being swung in the opposite closing direction, the friction wheel is entrained by the flint so that no friction and no ignition occurs. Due to this arrangement the flint 11 engages each time a different portion of the friction wheel 13 so that the same bears more and uniform wear and tear.

The known container 18 for gasoline or the like is mounted parallel to the hinge pin 12 of the receiver 7, care being taken that during the folding of the receiver into the case the fuel container 1% can be introduced without difliculty into a space 19 provided for the purpose of receiving it. The fuel container 18 is preferably held by spring tongues 23 or the like so that it can be removed from the receiver 7 without difficulty for renewal or refilling.

A friction-cone coupling might be substituted for the aforesaid claw coupling between the spring and the friction wheel, but is not illustarted in the drawing.

In order to prevent the uppermost cigarette from being damaged by the receiver when closing, it is advisable to provide on the top Wall 5 of the container 1 at least two 3 bearing surfaces 28, as indicated in Fig. 1 so that the uppermost cigarette will not bear directly against this top wall 5 of the container 1.

I11 cases where a greater security against unintentional opening of the locking means is desired, said locking means may be so constructed that the receiver 7 is held in its closed position by two locking devices acting independently of each other. This can be accomplished, as shown in Fig. 6, by two latches 24 arranged on the top wall of the container l and adapted to resiliently engage in openings 25 provided in the receiver 7 thereby holding the latter firmly in its closed position.

Each latch 24 is constructed, for example, so that its middle part rests on a horizontal spiral spring 29 fixed on the top wall of the case and pressing the locking end into an opening 25, whereby the latch can be disengaged by exerting pressure on the other end with a finger. The engaging ends of the latches are also preferably so constructed that they form bearing surfaces 26 for the uppermost cigarette spaced from the plane of the top wall of the container 1 so that this cigarette does not bear directly against this top wall. In this embodiment shown in Fig. 6, the receiver 7 can only be opened when both latches 24 are operated simultaneously.

The features of the invention mentioned enable the case to be opened easily and merely with one hand, and at the same time a cigarette automatically lighted ready for smoking to be introduced into the mouth. This last men'- tioned advantage is attained by the fact that the cigarettes arranged in a row one above the other are pushed towards the top wall of the case and the receiver 7 is shorter than the cigarette. Consequently the cigarette, lighted and swung out, projects with its unlighted end from the receiver 7 while the other end is located adjacent the flame which has actually been ignited. It can be seen from the manner in which the combined case and lighter according to the invention operates that it presents advantages which were not present in the cigarette cases hitherto known. The cigarette is removed using only one hand, and while it is being removed it is lit up and the lighted cigarette need not be taken hold of "as was hitherto necessary but the unlighed end projecing from the receiver can be immediately introduced into the mouth with the same hand used for initating its removal from the case. This is of great advantage, particularly for a car driver, because he can keep one hand on the steering wheel while lighting a cigarette.

From the above detailed description of the invention, it is believed that the construction will at once be apparcut, and while there are herein shown and described preferred embodiments of the invention, it is nevertheless to be understood that minor changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

I claim:

1. A flat substantially rectangular cigarette case and lighter, comprising a cigarette magazine portion for storing a row of cigarettes and having a spring in its bottom for biasing said row upwardly against stop lugs extending inwardly from the upper end of said magazine portion for spacing the uppermost cigarette slightly from said upper end, a recessed portion at one side of said magazine portion, said magazine having an opening at the upper end of its front face exposing said uppermost cigarette, and a cover hinged to the outer side of said recessed portion biased into open position and having a receiver arm extending outwardly at its upper end for closing over said magazine opening when said cover is closed over said recessed portion, said receiver arm having cigarette holding grip sides for wedging around said uppermost cigarette when said cover is closed, finger operated latch means for releasing said cover from its closed position, a hinge pin for said hinged cover having a friction wheel rotatably mounted on said pin near the upper end of said hinge for rotation in cover closing direction only, a flint slidably mounted on said cover arm and biased against said friction wheel, and a fuel tank removably clipped to the inside of said cover and having a wick at one end extending into the range of sparks issuing from said friction wheel When the cover is released with the uppermost cigarette in the grip of the receiver arm.

2. A cigarette case and lighter as defined in claim 1, said friciton wheel being provided with ratchet teeth on its upper face and a cooperating pawl mounted in said casing and biased over said teeth to prevent said wheel from turning in the cover opening direction.

3. A cigarette case and lighter as defined in claim 1, said receiver arm being shorter than said magazine opening, for exposing to view the absence of cigarettes in the magazine even when the cover is closed and to facilitate grasping the unlit end of the cigarette in the lips of the smoker and removing it from said receiver arm when the withdrawn cigarette is lit.

4. A cigarette case and lighter as defined in claim 1, said hinge pin having a coiled spring around it with its opposite ends biased against the inside of the casing and the cover respectively to normally retain said cover in its opened position substantially from its closed position.

5. A cigarette case and lighter as defined in claim 1, a pair of finger-operated spring clips on the top of said magazine portion having their ends normally passing through said top and biased to latch into slots in the upper grip of said receiver arm in cover closed position, said clip ends also serving as the stop lugs for said uppermost cigarette.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,186,530 Dobrowsky June 6, 1916 1,275,154 Hernandez Aug. 6, 1918 1,834,029 Killman Dec. 1, 1931 2,184,803 Morgan Dec. 26, 1939 FOREIGN PATENTS 283,445 Italy Mar. 11, 1939 

